Dissident republican group Oglaigh na hEireann declares ceasefire

The Irish flag at half mast during a 1916 commemoration ceremony at the GPO on O' Connell Street, Dublin (Image: Gareth Chaney Collins)

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A dissident republican group behind dozens of gun and bomb attacks on security forces in Northern Ireland has declared a ceasefire.

Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH), which at one point tried to blow up the Co Down-based headquarters of MI5, has said it is ending its campaign of violence because the environment is not right for armed conflict.

A statement from the group said: "While ONH accept that the right of the Irish people to use armed disciplined force to end the violation of Irish national sovereignty is unquestionable, our review has concluded that, at this time, the environment is not conducive to armed conflict.

"Therefore the leadership of ONH are announcing that with immediate effect we will suspend all armed actions against the British state."

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Despite comprising around just 50 members, Oglaigh na hEireann, which roughly translates as soldiers of Ireland, was among the most active and deadly dissident groups opposed to the peace process.

Its membership includes a number of former senior figures from the Provisional IRA including so-called "big names" from Belfast, Londonderry, South Armagh and north Louth in the Irish Republic.

Other audacious attacks included an attack on the Northern Ireland headquarters of MI5 at Palace Barracks in Holywood, Co Down. Although there were no serious injuries, damage was caused to nearby houses when the car bomb exploded as the area was being evacuated.

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ONH was also responsible for an attempt to bomb a police station in Londonderry, the targeting of a British Army major in Co Down and a bid to shoot down a Police Service of Northern Ireland helicopter in South Armagh.

The group was believed to have gathered information on Catholic police recruit Constable Ronan Kerr, who was killed outside his home in Omagh, Co Tyrone, in March 2011.

More recently, ONH has been blamed for punishment-style shootings targeting alleged drug dealers in Belfast and Londonderry.

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The decommissioning of weapons did not form part of the discussions that led up to the announcement.

The PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin said the declaration indicated that some violent dissident republicans were starting to recognise that violence was not a bargaining chip for peace.

He also appealed for other armed groups to follow suit.

Mr Martin said: "Our communities do not want to live in fear of violence and my challenge to ONH is to meet people's expectations and cease using violence immediately. This includes all types of organised criminality within communities.

"The group has announced it is to suspend all actions against the 'British State', however, for years now, members have been heavily involved in extreme violence against people living in their own communities, including carrying out brutal beatings and shootings, as well as menacing acts of intimidation to create fear and control.

"These vicious attacks must also be consigned to the past. It will be deeds that count ultimately, not words."

Violent past of dissident group

Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) have been among the most active dissident republican groups in recent years.

The group was formed around 2009 following a split among the leadership of the Real IRA which was behind the 1998 Omagh bomb massacre.

Here is a timeline of the violent activities of ONH:

September 2009: ONH is linked to a 600lb roadside bomb close to Forkhill in Co Armagh.

October 2009: A booby-trap bomb explodes under the car of a police dog handler in east Belfast.

November 2009: A 400lb car bomb partially explodes at the headquarters of the Northern Ireland Policing Board in Belfast.

January 2010: Catholic police officer Peadar Heffron suffers serious injuries when an undercar bomb explodes as he drives to work in Randalstown, Co Antrim.

April 2010: A bomb explodes at MI5 headquarters at Palace Barracks, near Holywood, Co Down.

August 2010: A taxi driver is forced at gunpoint to drive a 200lb bomb to Strand Road PSNI station. The bomb causes widespread damage.

August 2010: An Army major cheats death after a bomb planted under his car failed to explode.

November 2010: Three police officers are injured in a grenade attack in west Belfast.

April 2011: An undercar booby-trap device explodes killing Catholic police recruit Constable Ronan Kerr in Omagh, Co Tyrone. ONH members are believed to be behind gathering information on the young officer.

July 2011: A gunman with an automatic rifle fires shots at police officers during a riot in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.

December 2011: A booby-trap bomb is discovered under the car of a serving police officer in east Belfast.

March 2013: A mortar attack on a police station in west Belfast is foiled.

May 2013: Shots are fired and a bomb is thrown at police officers in west Belfast.

July 2013: An attempted bomb attack on PSNI officers in north Belfast.

August 2013: An attempt is made to shoot down a PSNI helicopter in South Armagh.

November 2013: A car bomb partially explodes near a shopping centre in Belfast city centre.

December 2013: A bomb is left in Belfast's busy Cathedral Quarter during Christmas festivities.

December 2015: A bomb is left on a lane in Co Londonderry.

January 2016: ONH claims responsibility for a number of bomb attacks and so-called punishment shootings against alleged drug dealers.

April 2017: The group hints that it intends to re-think its strategy and abandon violence.